GRAVETTE - Darrick Strzelecki helped Gravette shake off a surprising second-quarter surge from Berryville with a careerbest rushing performance Friday night.
And the 48-9 win capped the evening when Seniors and their parents were recognized at mid-field prior to the opening kickoff.
The junior running back rushed for 268 yards and four touchdowns and the Lions pulled away from the Bobcats for a victory. Strzelecki did all his damage in the game’s first three quarters as Gravette (8-1, 5-1 4A-1 Conference) clinched a first-round playoff home game.
Strzelecki got the Lions off to a fast start, scoring touchdowns of 10 and 5 yards in the contest’s first eight minutes, 14 seconds. But the Bobcats (1-8, 0-6) refused to let Gravette cruise to a victory on its Senior Night.
After managing only 23 yards on 14 first-quarter plays, Berryville strung a drive together to start the second quarter. The Bobcats drove 90 yards in 14 plays, took 5 minutes, 28 seconds off the clock and cut Gravette’s lead to 14-6 on Pedro Acuna’s 1-yard TD plunge.
The Lions failed to add to their lead until the third quarter.
Gravette didn’t need much time to put the game away in the second half, however. The Lions gained momentum backon the opening drive of the second half, buoyed by Strzelecki’s tough running.
Strzelecki carried on every play of the Lions’ 58-yard march, capping it by breaking four tackles on a 19-yard TD run. The 5-foot-6, 164-pounder broke three more tackles on a 19-yard TD run, his fourth of the night, to give Gravette a 28-9 lead.
The Lions tacked on touchdowns on a Brian Hendren 14-yard TD reception from Clayton Alexander, a 33-yard fumble return by Dallas Kerley and a short TD run by Stanley Heyward-Brown. But by then, Strzelecki already had clinched the victory.
Strzelecki, who cited his improved leg strength for his tough running, refused to claim sole credit.
The Lions scored 34 points during the second half while holding the visitors to a single field goal midway through the third quarter.
Gravette had 19 first downs to 11 for the visitors, 408 total yards on the ground to 181 for Berryville and added 40 yards in the air to just 10 for the Bobcats. Gravette, however, lost two of its three fumbles and were penalized 6 times for 55 yards to just 15 for the visitors.
Gravette ends the regular season this Friday when they travel to Prairie Grove. They will meet an opponent yet to be named during a first round playoff game at Lions Stadium on Nov. 9.
Sports, Pages 12 on 11/03/2010